Griffon



Aug. 9, 1955 C, GR|F|=ON 2,714,722

FLUSHING TANKS FOR WATER-CLOSETS AND THE LIKE APPLICATIONS Filed Jan. 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fand/ws GrI//oh y /Amfm/y C. GRIFF'ON Aug. 9, 1955 FLUSHING TANKS FOR WATER-CLOSETS AND THE LIKE APPLICATIONS Filed Jan. 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 2,714,722 risparmio rANts Foa WATER-CLOSETS AND run LIKE APPLICATIONS Claudius Griffon, Saint Etienne, lFrance Application January 29, 1954, Serial No. 406,980 Claims priority, application France February 5, 1953 s Claims. (ci. 1 -2s)` My invention has for its object a flushing tank for water closets and the like applications `of the type already disclosed in my prior specifications Ser. No. 140,030 filed on January 23, 1950 now Patent No. 2,589,691 issued March 18, 1952 and Ser. No. 229,313 filed on June 1, 1951 now Patent No. 2,659,089 issued November 17, 1953.

A primary object of my present invention consists in obtaining a satisfactory operation without any of the usual drawbacks due to the hydro-pneumatic design of a dushing tank. Anyone skilled in the art will readily ascertain that such flushing tanks, in spite of their theoretical simplicity, require a careful perfecting of their structural details which define the grade of an apparatus adapted to provide a long service when compared with other apparatuses which have only a theoretical value or serve merely as prototypes.

According to a further object of my invention, the two superposed compartments forming the tank are adjustably connected together by means of a tube screwed inside a socket rigid with the partition separating the two compartments, said tube being provided with a radial bore and with a longitudinal external groove for interconnecting the two compartments, while an open tubular sheath surrounding the pipe extends between the partition separating the compartments and the upper closed opening of the tank.

l will now disclose my invention with further detail, reference being made to accompanying drawings, given by way of a mere exemplification and without any binding sense being attached thereto. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general axial sectional view of a flushing tank provided with the improvements according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View, corresponding to Fig. 1, of the parts controlling the flushing operation at the bottom of the tank.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show on a larger scale, together with the mounting of the control members, the water-circuit and of the air passages, the different stages of the flow of water as provided by the release of a ball valve, together with the air passages.

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the flushing control parts, showing in particular a manner of mounting the control lever with a View to preventing the water from seeping outwardly along the rod carrying the lever.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section through line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an axial cross-section through the adjustable water intake secured to the lower end of the container.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal cross-sectional View through line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Figs. 10, l1 and l2 show the successive stages of the flow of water during the operation of the flushing tank as controlled by the water-intake means secured to the lower end of the container.

ln the embodiment illustrated in Fig. l, there is provided a lower compartment 1 inside which the water collects for the flushing operation and an upper com- 2,714,722 Patented ug. 9, 1955 partment 2 of a smaller volume intended for pressureproducing purposes.

The adjustable arrangement connecting the two compartments includes a vertical tube 3 outwardly threaded over its lower end so that it may be screwed inside a tapped socket 4 secured to the partition 5 separating the two compartments of the container. The tube 3 is provided at a suitable height with a radial port 31 which serves for the intercommunication between the two compartments.

A longitudinal groove 32 is formed along the threaded part of the pipe 3 and also establishes a connection between the two compartments of the container.

The upper end of the groove 32 registers substantially with the level of the port 31. Said groove may be replaced in a modification by cutting a flat surface longitudinally along the outer surface of the pipe 3. The groove 32 is intended to prevent any air from being trapped at the upper end of the compartment 1 of the container underneath the partition 5.

As a matter of fact, if the compartment 1 is not completely freed of air, the flushing tank cannot operate automatically, i. e. the rubber ball Valve 12 referred to hereinafter cannot rise inside the container under the action of the eddies of the water. In such a case, the ball valve remains on its seat and it is necessary to keep it in its raised position by means of the control lever throughout the duration of the flushing operation.

The groove 32 allows the air to readily pass out of the compartment 1 into the compartment 2 of the container when the latter is partly filled with water.

The port 31 corresponds with the groove 32 insofar as they are both suitably gauged for the throughput to be obtained, because, if the throughput is too large, the flushing tank cannot operate automatically whereas, if the throughput is too small, the water flushing is reduced.

In the upper compartment, the tube 3 is surrounded by a tubular guiding sheath 6, the lower end of which is fitted over the socket 4, while its upper frustoconical end is tted inside an opening formed in the upper end of the tank and normally closed by the cap 7. The sheath 6 is provided with perforations for the passage of water through it.

The upper end of the tube 3 carries a head provided with a diametrical groove for screwing and unscrewing said pipe, and thereby adjusting the level of the port 31.

The mounting and uidtight securing on the lower end of the tank of the parts serving for the outflow of water and for the control of the fiushing, are provided by locking a ring 10 inside the upstanding flange 81 of the valve body 3, said ring 10 being mounted with a clearance inside the cup-shaped member 32 formed inside the flange 81. The ring 10 is provided inwardly with an annular bearing surface inside which is clamped the inturned edge 11 of the axial opening at the bottom of the lower compartment. A packing or washer 11 is fitted between said edge 11 and the bottom of the cup-shaped member S2.

The valve body 8 is provided axially with a conical seat for the ball valve 12, said seat opening into a drain 84 (Fig. 3). The water exhaust pipe 13 is connected in the conventional manner with the valve body 8 and drain therein.

Inside the rib 85 formed on the valve body 8 is proa vided radially a port 86 of a small diameter connecting the axial water outlet drain 84 with the blind bore 87 of a larger diameter. The outer end of the blind bore 8" is partly tapped so as to be engaged by the closing Screw 14. The portion of the blind bore 87 which is not occupied by the screw 14, forms a chamber connected through a small lateral opening 88 with the bottom of the cup-shaped member 82. The opening of the channel 88 inside the cup-shaped' member 82 is located in adjacent relationship with reference torand outside the'pa'cking 11 in the part of the Said cup-shaped member which is separated ,by a clearance from the ring 10. l Tube 3 acts primarily vto putin communication, through the radial opening 31,` the Alower compartment and thepper compartmentZ. The' volume'and the pressure ofthe air compressed inthe upper part of compartment'2 vary-according to the pressure of' the water'` fed to the tank,'and accordingto` the pressure or the feed-water main. The' level of the water in compartment 2 will bemore or less highg'it is'important that the distance' between said level and port 31 remainv small, because before the level ofthe water would reach the level of 'port 31, that 'isi'to say before'r or asthe air' pressure exerts itself l'through tube '3"into'the inside of compartment 1, there occurs" only a "small flow under little pressure through the water exhaust 'pipe 13'. When the water level reacties the port 31, the air pressure in compartment 1 operates. The' exhaust and tlushing pressure is strong and quick.l Therefore the height of screwed tube 3v in the tank 'is adjustable in order that the level 'of port 31 can be regulated as a' function of the water pressure of the feed-water main. In addition, groove 32 is provided to prevent the formation of an' air pocket at the upper part of compartment f1, under the partition 5, which, as already fully 'explained wouldV disturb the automatic operation of the tank.

Sheath protects and g'ui'des tube 3' in compartment 2. Its upper end serves as a guide for the screw-driver down to the head of tube 3, when the latter is to be screwed orun'sc'rewed'to' control' the level of port 31. Sheath 6' has substantial' perforatio'ns 61 so that there is no impairment ofthe motion of the Vwater o'r of the action of the airbetween compartments 1' and 2 by means of tube 3.

The'cranked secti'o'n'of the control'lever 15 is 'revolubly carried'in a'sleeve 16k (Fig. l) screwed inside a"s`lightly s'loping'tapped bore'formedin a boss'89 o'n thelvalve b'ody 8. To the inner end of the cranked section of the lever 15 is secured, through any suitable means, such as a square rod, a push member or tappet 17. l The latterfmay be inserted inside the sleeve y16 by pushing' it'in't'othebore provided in the boss 89. The push member 1'7 may pivot insidethe exhaust drain 84 together with' the' section of the lever 15 carrying' it, so thatl itmay bebroight into'register'with'the conical seat 83 andiai'se' the b'all`12 whenthe flushing effect is desired.

I wish to emphasize the particular eic'ie'ncy of the manner' of `releasing'the ball valve 12. Wherithe water has collected insideth'e compartment 1 of the'tank and also'in a'portion of the compartment 2 and'has energetically compressed the air in said upper compartment 2, the ball valve 12y is urged against its conical seat 83 with a considerable force.

Now, it is possible to'act onthe lever 1S so as'to'exert V a considerable stress on the push member 17. The latter, the' outline of'which is rounded vand showsv no sharp section, assumes a maximum length consistent with the possibility of its introduction into the valve body 8, while allowing a pivotal movement of said push member inside said'body as'illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. This allows the push member 17 to engage the ball valve 12 eccentrically with reference to the axis of the seat 83 and as close as possible to the contacting area between the ball valve 12 and said seat 83 (Fig. 3). Consequently, the length m of the lever arm constituted by the push member 17 (Fig. 4*) furthers the initiating of the release of the ball valve through a point which is near the point of contact with the push member. The ball valve 12 is submitted to a rocking movement as illustrated by thel arrow F in Fig. 4 between the sharply defined-point of release andthe bearing point constituted by the diametrically opposedpoint on the seat 83.

The above-mentioned release of a small area of the ball valve 1-2 produces a reduction of the pressure exerted by the water and by the air inside the tank. The pressure applied to the ball valve 12 decreases together with the thrust exerted on the control lever 15. The ball rises, as shown in Fig. 5, under the raising movement of the flowing water so that the ushing is initiated.

This manner of releasing the ball is particularly logical, as allowed by the very structure disclosed, whereas obviously, numerous known arrangements which produce an axial' thrust, require substantial stresses for releasing the ball valve. Such stresses make the application of priory arrangements unsuitable and lead to damage of the apparatus and in particular of the rubber ball valve.

Simultaneously, with the stages of release of the ball valve with al View to controlling the ilushing operation, there is a projection of water not only through the exhaust drain 84 but also vthroughvthe small opening 86. The reduced lateral projection of water is stopped and braked inside the chamber formed atv 87, as described with reference to Fig. 4, and this prevents the water fromfilteringV Aoutwardlyl through the clearance between the ycup-shapedv member 82 arid the ring 10 which would lead to thea'nnoying impression of a leak. v

The Water projected into'the small chamber y87 returns then into the normal exhaust drain S4 under the action ot the suction produced by the water driven out ofthe tank. This `results further in a suctionl of air through the openings y88,847 and 86 which prevents the balll valve: 12jfrom bouncing and engaging intermittently tl'ieseat 8? and imp inging' thereonwith a shock at the end' of the' water'j-ushing stage.

During the', exhaust period, water is al'so projected into 'the b'orewof theboss 39 of the'valve body. In order topi-event said watertrom seepin'g outside the sleeve 16 along the rod carrying the' lever 1E said sleeve is provided with .an inner bearir'1`g71'61 constituted by a tubular friction'al lining, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. Furthermore, v the outer endI of the sleeve is outwardly threaded' and provided with dat longitudinal surfaces` so that itmay be held therebywhen screwed into the `boss Over said end is screweda tapped plug 19 the bottom of'which is provided inwardly with a small releasing chamber 181 so that only its periphery engages the outer periphery of the end ot the sleeve'16. 'A washer I9`of'rubber or the like yielding material is clamped betweenv said outer periphery Iof the ybottom ot the plug 1'8'a`nfd th'ev'ou'ter'end of the sleeve 16. The washer 19 is provided'w'ith' a' central opening' thel diameter or which is slightlyJ inferior to that 'of tnerod 16 so that it is fitted 'with a force t over 'said rod. The vwasher 19 formsfthu's a hindrance 'against any seeping of water out of the sleeve.

c In a modication, the 1water inflow means (Fig. 8) provided at thelo'wer endfof the tank, allow draining said'tiik'in practically automatic manner in yorder to allow air to return into said tank with laview't'o replac ing thereby the'air `tli'a't has been'drawn out during'the flushing operation, ythis arrangement'providing thus for constancy of the'power'andvlume of the ushing water.

lIn this arrangement, inside the socket 20 welded to the lower end'of the tank, is secured, removablyor otherwise, e. g. `thr'c` 1,1fgl1' welding or the `like conventional means,apluginember 2'1 provided withtwolongitudinal admission'channels 2117of 4a reduced diameter. These channels 211 openonone hand into the tank and on the -otherh'and intola tappedlbore formed lin the lower outer end'ofthe plug'member 21. A screw 22 is screwed into said Abore or them'embergil andisprovided with an axial bore 221 for the passage of water through it. y,

Thus, it is apparent that by screwing to a predetermined ext-ent the screw'22 inside the'member 21, it is possible'to limit the admission of water into the tank, said admission of water beingstopped as soon as the screw 22A is screwed homeinside the bottom of the tapped bore in the memberv21. p l, v y

The diagrams of Figs. l0, ll and l2 show the inamar/22 terest of the above disclosed arrangement. The diagrams of Figs. and 11 correspond to the ushing tank after a series of operations. The admission of water is performed with a large throughput through a normal large diameter opening 23. In Fig. l0, the wate.' is shown as being urged out of the tank by the thrust exerted by the compressed air at the upper end of the tank. However, the air pressure is gradually released and some time before the end of the exhaust of water, the air pressure is no longer sufficient for the expulsici:` of the water. A reduction in pressure arises which is sutiicient for the water to enter the connection 23 and to return into the tank before the exhaust is finished, as illustrated in Fig. 11. The ball valve returns onto its seat while the container is being lled. The amount of non-exhausted water builds up gradually, after a number of operations of the ushing device, and consequently the efiiciency of the flushing decreases. When draining the container, it is necessary to stop the admission of water and to hold the ball valve away from its seat by' action on the control lever. The water flows then completely out while a compensating admission of air is fed into the tank through the pipe 13 and the exhaust drain S4.

In contradistinction, the improved arrangement including the parts illustrated in Fig. 8, allows adjusting the throughput of water feeding the tank, and it is possible to provide an input of water into the tank which is slower than the output of water from the inside of the tank. Consequently the tank is completely and automatically drained of water, each time the iiushing devicc is operated. The interest of this novel arrangement is obvious.

As already mentioned, my invention is by no means limited to the applications and embodiments of its various parts which have been disclosed more particularly hereinabove and it covers all the modifications thereof falling within the scope of accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a ushing tank, the combination of two superposed compartments, the upper compartment being provided with an opening at its upper end and the lower compartment being provided with an opening at its lower end, a partition separating same and provided with an opening, a tapped socket rigid with the partition and fitted inside said opening, a vertical tube screwed inside said socket and provided with a radial port normally located inside the upper compartment and with a longitudinal passage along its outer surface extending between the lower end of said tube and a point in substantial horizontal register with the port, a perforated sheath surrounding the vertical tube, tted over the upper end of the socket and extending upwardly into the opening in the upper end of the upper tank compartment, a cap closing the upper opening in the upper compartment over the upper end of the sheath, a valve body provided witha valve seat, iitted in and opening into the lower compartment, a ball valve adapted to rest on said seat and means adapted to shift the ball valve off its seat.

2. In a flushing tank, the combination of two superposed compartments, the lower compartment being provided with an opening at its lower end, a partition separating same and provided with an opening, a tapped socket rigid with the partition and fitted inside said opening, a vertical tube screwed inside said socket and provided with a radial port normally located inside the upper compartment and with a longitudinal passage along its outer surface extending between the lower end of said tube and a point in substantial register with the port, a valve body provided with a valve seat, fitted in and opening into the lower compartment, a ball valve adapted to rest on said seat, a ring fitted round the lower edge of the lower opening in the lower compartment, a cupshaped member rigid with the seat and surrounding said ring to hold same with a slight clearance, a packing fitted between the bottom of said cup-shaped member and the lower edge of the opening in the lower compartment, the valve body being provided with a central output passage registering with said seat and extending underneath the location of the ball valve, with a small chamber opening into said passage, a screw adapted to close the outer end of said chamber and with a lateral vertical channel, connecting said small chamber with the bottom of the cup-shaped member on the outside of the packing.

3. In a flushing tank, the combination of two superposed compartments, the lower compartment being provided with an opening at its lower end, a partition separating same and provided with an opening, a tapped socket rigid with the partition and tted inside said opening, a vertical tube screwed inside said socket and provided with a radial port normally located inside the upper compartment and with a longitudinal passage along its outer surface extending between the lower end of said tube and a point in substantial register with the port, a valve body provided with a valve seat, tted in and opening into the lower compartment, a ball valve adapted to rest on said seat, a sleeve radially rigid with the valve body, a lever including an extension passing axially and uid tightly through the sleeve and a tappet rigid with the inner end of the lever extension and adapted, upon rotation of the latter, to engage an area of the ball valve resting on its seat, which area is eccentric with reference to the seat.

4. In a flushing tank, the combination of two superposed compartments, the lower compartment being provided with an opening at its lower end, a partition separating same and provided with an opening, a tapped socket rigid with the partition and fitted inside said opening, a vertical tube screwed inside said socket and provided with a radial port normally located inside the upper compartment and with a longitudinal passage along its outer surface extending between the lower end of said tube and a point in substantial register with the port, a valve body provided with a valve seat, fitted in and opening into the lower compartment, a ball valve adapted to rest on said seat, a sleeve radially rigid with the valve body and provided with an outer thread, a yielding perforated washer engaging the outer end of. the sleeve, a perforated tapped nut urging said washer against the sleeve and screwed over the latter, a lever including an extension passing axially through the plug and through the sleeve and fluid tightly engaging the perforation in the washer and a tappet rigid with the inner end of the lever extension and adapted, upon rotation of the latter, to engage an area of the ball valve resting on its seat, which area is eccentric with reference to the seat.

5. In a fluishing tank, the combination of two superposed compartments, the lower compartment being provided with an opening at its lower end, a partition separating same and provided with an opening, a tapped socket rigid with the partition and iitted inside said opening, a vertical tube screwed inside said socket and provided with a radial port normally located inside the upper compartment and with a longitudinal passage along its outer surface extending between the lower end of said tube and a point in substantial horizontal register with the port, a valve body provided with a valve seat, tted in and opening into the lower compartment, a ball valve adapted to rest on said seat, means adapted to shift the ball valve off its seat, a water-feeding connection opening into the lower end of the container, a tubular member fitted inside said pipe and provided with a plurality of longitudinal channels and with a tapped bore at its outer end and opening into said first mentioned channels and an axially bored screw screwed into said tapped bore to adjust the input of water through the channels in said tubular member.

No references cited. 

